What Matters Is the Soul
by ElricKeyblade
Summary: AU, SoulxMaka. She forced him away from a life he wanted to escape. He helps open her eyes to what is around her. How are they connected?
1. Recruitment

**Disclaimer: Soul Eater does not belong to me. However, I do own a handmade Maka bookmark that I bought from Anime Expo 2009. :)**

Author's Note: Hello hello my readers, old and new! I present to you the new SoMa installation that I had mentioned in my earlier story, **Complications**! Wh00t!! b^^d

[Speaking of **Complications**, thanks so much to those who reviewed! I really enjoyed reading them, and they always made my day! :) ]

Yes, another university AU, again inspired by the fact that soon I'll be a college freshman. (Ah, my high school days...I miss them already.) This AU is different from the one in **Complications**, though. Just to let you know.

I hope everyone who reads this enjoys this! Now, on to the story! b^^d

* * *

**Chapter 1: Recruitment  
**

"And that concludes the performance for the evening."

An immediate wave of applause overtook the auditorium, drowning out the scrape of the pianist's seat as he stood to regard the wealth of onlookers. Rays of bright light reflected off the gilded ceiling and walls, highlighting the piano's smooth shine and the creases of his ink black suit. His mouth was a thin line, with neither a curl nor a whisper at the edges.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our newest talent plucked from the elite of New York itself- our very own Soul Evans!"

If possible, the smattering of applause increased in volume. He bowed- one arm tucked under and the other left stiff at his side- and looked up to find himself being awarded with a standing ovation from center to balcony.

And still he did not smile.

* * *

Boredom. Fatigue. Dullness.

Soul fought down an overwhelming urge to- scream or yawn, he honestly didn't know which at this point. For some damn reason, he had gone and gotten himself attending yet another fancy reception. It was at a ritzy hotel located on the more distinguished side of the New York City streets, crystal chandeliers and smooth tiles included. Everything here sparkled, even the guests, and tinkling laughter could be heard here and there as they indulged in the privilege of finery and class.

And it was all making him _sick_.

"Why, if it isn't Soul Evans himself!" exclaimed a man near his elbow. He was dressed in a sporty blue tuxedo, a glittering woman leaning close on his arm. With a wine flute in one hand and a cigar in the other, he was the very image of the classic- and wealthy- American man. "A marvelous performance you did tonight, my boy. Mixed a bit of Beethoven with Bach, did you?"

The woman on his arm giggled as if at something lewd- though how she could connect Beethoven or Bach with anything lewd, Soul did not know nor cared to know. He shoved his hand into his pockets, resulting in his pose looking more careless than refined. "Yes, that is exactly what I did. I didn't expect anyone to be able to notice something so subtle during my performance."

The man beamed at the praise. Taking another puff from his cigar, he was a bird preening his feathers. "Of course, only someone from the Evans family could have managed something like that with such fluidity. I've never before heard classic and baroque woven together with such exquisite precision. You will most certainly have notable patrons in the future, my boy. And you are only what- sixteen?"

"Seventeen," Soul automatically corrected with a mechanic grin, though on the inside he let out a groan of displeasure. This man was far too loud with his predictions- out of the corner of his eye he could see another woman stopping by their little crowd, swooping in for the kill.

Well, at least it wasn't someone else who could have been here. Someone who would've been _really_ annoying to be around right now.

"So _you_ are the new Evans prodigy, hmm?" the newcomer questioned. She was a tall, thin twig, with a flowing blue dress that sparkled just as much as the wine. Her shoulders and neck were bare and without blemish, and her red lips curved pleasantly as she leaned in close. "What an honor to meet you at _last_."

This woman looked like she was in her late twenties. A bit too old for him. But the softness of her breasts was enveloping his arm, and her scent was sweet, alluring, ripe with sin. "The pleasure is all mine, madam."

She tittered. For a brief moment they locked eyes, and hers narrowed into something coquettish and sly. He knew what she was after, and his body flared with heat.

"Hey, Soul."

The boy stiffened at the familiar voice. He cringed at the feel of another arm encircling his own as though it was used to being there.

"Sorry, but can I borrow him for a minute? We need to talk. Privately. Isn't that right, Soul?"

"Sure thing," he muttered through gritted teeth. He wouldn't look at her. He refused to look at her. He wouldn't even _think _about giving her the satisfaction of knowing how good she got him this time.

The woman who had been coming on to him mere seconds before backed away with an indignant huff; the others in their little crowd merely gave them funny looks before stalking off in some random direction. As soon as they met up with some other people who were enjoying the party just as much as they were, he was already being tugged out of the door.

The walk down the hallway was short, but Soul felt like they were making the progress of molasses. Each step they took sounded disjointed and out of tune. She was still hugging his arm, and on the inside he was straining away from her with all he could.

"Ah! Over here," she said, breaking the silence. They had stopped at a door at the end of the hallway, small and invisible to the drunkards sure to start wandering around soon.

She finally let go of his arm- _finally_- to open the door, and with a start Soul remembered that before this he hadn't even looked at her. Not that there was much to look at in the first place, but-

Wait. What the heck is she wearing?

"What are you standing out there for? In_ here._" She tugged on his arm to lead him into a room of dim lights and checkered flooring, which only served to make his unease grow. All of this was inconspicuous somehow, as if they were going to do more than just have a little meeting-

_SLAM._

He jerked out of his thoughts, and was glad for it. Any inclination of him doing _that_ with this annoying, unattractive girl was enough to make him barf on the spot- a totally uncool thing to do in this situation.

"Was that really necessary?" he asked, shrugging his hands into his pockets once more. His brows lowered into their customary frown. "I know you want privacy and all, but the doors didn't need to be abused, you know?"

For the first time that night she turned to face him, her dull green eyes alight with the playful, teasing smile on her face. Her boring hair was loose tonight, he noted distractedly. Too bad the change didn't make up for her horrible choice of clothes.

"I take it you already know why I'm here."

"This is what, the fifth time you're gonna ask me to enroll in your crappy university? I already told you, the answer's no," he spat. His glance dropped to her toes and back up to her face. "And what's with the clothes, Maka? This is a cocktail party, not a business meeting."

She slumped, her smile faltering. Her outfit, consisting of a white dress shirt and black miniskirt, seemed to laugh at her in their simplistic state. "I know," Maka muttered, "but they only told me that the event was _formal_, not fancy. They should have been more specific. Do I at least look kind of cute in this?" she asked, straightening and pointing at herself.

Her, _cute_? With that flat-board chest and skinny-as-a-stick figure? "Oi, don't make me laugh. I'm not in the mood."

She frowned and stepped away from her spot near the door, growling, "Do you have a problem with how I look?" Her eyes carried the threat of a slow and painful death if she didn't like what he said.

Soul considered letting her know that Plain Janes like her had no hope of being cute in the first place, then thought better of it. He had already experienced how she was when she snapped, and he didn't desire going through _that_ again. Best change tact. "Look, just go back to wherever you came from and tell your phony Shi-su-ken University-"

"It's Shi-BU-SEN!"

Did he look like he gave a crap? "Anyway, just go back and tell whoever's in charge that they can kiss my ass. 'Cause I ain't going," he finished with a glare.

Maka showed no outward reaction other than putting her hands on her hips. "Why don't you tell them yourself?"

Soul didn't think she could be this slow. He gritted his teeth. "Like I just said, _I ain't going_."

"Ain't?" she echoed, moving closer. She sounded amused, more amused than Soul would've liked. "Should someone of your background really be using that kind of language?"

He rolled his eyes, his mouth still in its stubborn line. This girl knew nothing, did she? "Spare me."

Now she was right in front of him. "Why won't you attend our university? What's so bad about it that you don't want to go? Is it because-" Her irises widened, as though she had just come to a realization. "Is it because you don't want to leave this life behind?"

Her question hung in the empty air, then faded away. She stayed where she was, awaiting his answer, and all Soul could do was stand there with a funny noise sounding from the back of his throat.

Didn't want to leave this life behind? No, that wasn't it. There was nothing that he would like more than to leave behind this suffocating, pointless life that held for him only one path and one choice. Nothing he would like more than to escape the admiring glances and praises from people who didn't know Beethoven from Mozart, who cared more about themselves than they did for others.

But this university was obviously a hoax. He knew enough to be wary of certain weird girls who appear out of nowhere to invite you to attend a place that couldn't be looked up on Google Earth. Not to mention her annoying persistence…

"Aha. I actually stumped you today." Soul looked down, realizing for the first time that their faces had gotten quite close during his little flashback. Glowering, he took a careful step away from her.

"You can leave now. I'm not attending your stupid university even if you paid me- not that it's necessary anyways."

To his dismay, she closed the space he had put between them, eyes searching his. "So you really won't? You won't enroll in our university of your own free will?"

Ignoring his earlier demand for her to walk herself through those doors, he pushed past her instead. He couldn't believe he was thinking this, but he _needed_ to get back to that party before this girl said anything else that weirded him out. "See ya."

He was at the door when he heard Maka whisper, "I'm so sorry about this, Soul."

Something heavy hit his head, and everything went dark.

* * *

A/N: And that ends the first chapter! The appearance of the second chapter will come sooner or later depending on how many people actually like this. So...**please review!** b^^d


	2. First Impression

**Disclaimer: I went online and saw that Ohkubo was giving away partial rights to Soul Eater to the first one who gave him a chocolate-chip cookie. Immediately I wrapped one up and sent it to him through first-class air mail, but BONES, Funimation, and all those other companies got there first. So...'tis a shame, but I really don't own Soul Eater.**

Author's Note: Okay, attempt at a funny disclaimer aside, how ya'll doing? The reviews this story has already received has made me really happy, and I want to thank all of you did the reviewing! I was going to wait another six or seven days to post this, but the amount of feedback has persuaded me to update this today, yo! Thanks a lot, and hope you guys enjoy~

Now, on to the story!

* * *

**Chapter 2: First Impression**

_He was playing the piano, always the piano. It was the middle of the afternoon and a couple of hours after his performance in Central Park, but he had stayed behind to play the music he actually felt like playing._

"_That's pretty dark."_

_He turned. Standing right behind him was a girl he had never seen before, smiling as though she had every right to be there. "Who are you?" he asked. His eyes narrowed._

"_Name's Maka," she answered, holding out her hand. "Maka Albarn."_

_

* * *

_

The first thing Soul saw when he awoke was Maka's face, worried and concerned and hovering over his.

They stared at each other in silence, his eyes locked with hers. Then a vague, groggy sense of why he was waking up in the first place took root in Soul's head, and he glared.

"What the hell did you do to me?" He tried his best to make his voice harsh and menacing, but instead it came out in a half-whisper. At least the hissing helped out somewhat.

She blinked at him, then reached out and patted his head. Soul couldn't feel much, but her touch felt a bit like cloth. His eyes widened in surprise. She was…tending to his injury?

This would've been more touching if she wasn't the reason for the injury in the first place; his head hurt like hell, as if she had conked him out with a sledgehammer instead of…whatever she had used. Not to mention that she was prodding him rather aggressively.

"Ow! Can't you afford to be a bit more gentle?" The moment the words were out of his mouth, Soul knew that it was the wrong thing to say. But given the situation, he felt that he deserved to be an ass right now.

Evidently the feeling wasn't mutual: the look on Maka's face turned murderous, and she shifted sharply to the side. His cranium connected painfully with bone (_"OW!"_), and only then did Soul realize that his head had been resting directly over her knees. Or more specifically…her lap.

"Quit being an ass," she demanded, and for once Soul was glad she didn't have a chest. It was bad enough that his head was in the one place he never thought it would be; he didn't need his nose assaulted by anything that might make a little blood leak out-

"Hey, are you even listening to me?" she cut in, again scattering his thoughts. He stared up at her, his mind blank with nothing but embarrassment.

"Huh?"

"I said that we're going to land in about ten minutes, so you might wanna try looking a bit more lively." She had gone from concerned to irritated, and Soul couldn't even begin to imagine why. Wait, land?

"Land where?" he asked slowly. Slight twinges of pain now twisted across his forehead every time he talked- _damn_ this girl! "Where…are we?"

Silence. And something running through his pure, unnaturally white spikes of hair. It took everything in him to not cringe away. He didn't ask her to touch him, and he never wanted her to either.

"…Where are we?" he asked again, trying his best to frown. Something told him that he wouldn't like her answer, but anything was better than not knowing.

"We're on a plane-"

"On a _what_-_"_

"-And we're about to land on the campus of Shibusen University."

Well, that just about dropped the bomb. And what was worse, she didn't look apologetic in the least. Didn't she know that this was illegal? "…Let me out of here."

She looked at him as if _he­_ was the one who was crazy. For obvious reasons that irked him even more. "Um…Soul? That's not possible right now."

"I don't care," he half-whispered, half-hissed. "Let me out of here, you crazy girl!" He tried moving his arms and feet, but they were stuck. No, not stuck. More like…bound.

Great, she had a bondage fetish. He decided to go with the calm and persuasive approach. "You're not going to get away with this," he remarked, his voice as light and casual as he could make it. "Just to let you know."

"And you're not going to be able to threaten me out of this," she countered. "Just to let you know. I was ordered to bring you to Shibusen at all costs, and I've come too far to back out of this now." Her jaw tensed, then slacked as she murmured, "Though I didn't think I would have to do this."

Soul kept silent, stubbornly silent. He didn't believe her little act for a minute.

Then his ears popped, and his stomach felt like it was dropping into a hole- the telltale signs of an airplane landing taking place. It wasn't something that he was unused to, but there was quite a difference between feeling it from the comfort of cushioned seats and feeling it while tied and bound on the floor of the plane.

Maka didn't even flinch. "Looks like we're here," she muttered, and Soul felt her hands clench a bit in his hair. He would have bored a hole in her neck with his eyes if his head didn't hurt so much.

'_Don't get ahead of yourself, idiot girl,'_ he fumed silently. _'Cool guys like me always know to wait for the right moment. I'll get out of here in no time.'_ And with that, he leaned back to enjoy the ride.

For now.

* * *

When Maka Albarn first accepted the duties of being a representative for the school, she knew for a fact that if nothing else it would be tough. Mr. Sid had specifically told her that this job required frequent travel, persuasion, and persistence; she had accepted all that without complaint.

However, she didn't think that knocking out potential students was listed in the job description.

"What are you doing?"

Maka blinked and looked down at Soul. Still bound, he had been lifted into the wheelchair she was now pushing down the hallway. She had to fight down a laugh at his stubborn, unhappy expression, and opted for smiling sweetly and answering, "Transporting you to your cage."

He fixed her with an upside-down look that screamed mutiny. Couldn't he take a joke? "I was kidding, Soul," she reassured him.

His glare didn't let up, and she sighed.

"Hey, Maka!"

The wheelchair screeched to a stop as she turned around, smiling at the blue-eyed boy walking towards her with a smile of his own. "Hiro! When did you get back?"

Hiro stopped before her, blond wisps of hair settling on either sides of his head as he glanced over the wheelchair and its prisoner with a bemused expression. "A couple of hours ago. It didn't take much effort collecting the weapon this time around- I don't blame it, either. Anyone would want to escape a land full of ice and snow." He pretended to shiver, jerking and making owl sounds that echoed through the hall.

Maka laughed. "Come on, Hiro. Wasn't Alaska at least a little bit fun?"

The boy stopped his actions and rubbed a finger under his nose with a sheepish expression. "Eh, I guess so." They both started walking, their steps tuning into each others'. "So how about you? Where did you go this time?"

"New York again." The wheelchair squeaked as they turned a corner. "But it was still so exciting. I can't imagine what it's like to live in a city so _big_! All those lights and cars and movement everywhere."

Hiro chuckled, chancing another look at the silent boy in the wheelchair. "And you finally got the weapon this time! The scythe, right?"

"Mm-hm," Maka affirmed. "His name is Soul, and he's very interesting once you get to know him."

"Really? Huh." Hiro's appraising glance turned into a squint, and his voice lowered with skepticism. "What's so interesting about this scythe?"

"Do you guys always talk about people when they can hear _everything you're saying_?" said scythe sniped, cutting off Maka's reply. A small hint of pink pricked her cheeks. She had forgotten all about his presence the moment Hiro came along.

He stared at Soul with unveiled surprise and got back an eyeful of scorching irritation. Quickly his expression changed into one of disdain. "Quiet. You have no business in a conversation between two meisters."

"Huh?" Why was Hiro being so defensive? It was only natural that Soul would be upset over being ignored. "Hiro, what are you talking about?"

"Of course it's my business, you piece of crap," snapped the bound weapon, oblivious to Maka's confusion. "If you have something to say about me, tell it to my face."

"Soul!" Maka was dismayed- how did this all escalate _so fast_? "Don't start anything!"

"What?! _He's_ the one starting things, not me!"

She ignored him and turned to the boy beside her. "I'm sorry Hiro, I'm sure he didn't mean it."

He frowned as though she hadn't spoken at all. The corners of his mouth pulled down and his eyebrows tightened. "This one needs a bit of an attitude adjustment. Maybe we should take this one directly to Mr. Asura."

Maka didn't understand what her friend was trying to say. What did taking Soul to the president of this university have to do with anything? "What for?"

Hiro didn't answer, and the silence tensed between the three like a thin, quivering thread. Soul resumed being quiet, though Maka could see that he was stiff all over. She looked ahead, turning another corner while nervously watching Hiro out of the corner of her eye.

The thread snapped when he lifted a hand to scratch his head and sighed. "Ah, never mind about it. He'll meet up with him soon enough. Hey, is this your stop?" They were in front of two wide double doors, a sign above them reading, 'Shibusen Medical Center.'

"Ah, yes!" A vigorous nod accompanied her exclamation. "He, er…had some sense knocked into him, so he needs some looking over before he goes to meet Mr. Sid."

The remnants of the grim mood disappeared with Hiro's sudden beam of a smile. "So you're getting used to the requirements of your job, huh? Well, that's good to hear!"

He turned around, though not before giving her a one-armed hug that made color bloom on her cheeks once more. "I have to go to the president myself, so I'll see you later, Maka."

"Y-yeah…" she stuttered. Her voice was strangely breathless. She watched his back until he reached the far end of the hall, her coherency dangling away from her with each step he took.

A short, derisive laugh broke her away from her observation. "Some boyfriend."

She shot a sharp look downwards at Soul, who grinned back with a smirk that was all too knowing. It infuriated her that her cheeks burned. "Quit…quit talking nonsense. There's nothing like that between me and Hiro. And stop insulting him!"

He broke off his smirk in favor of rolling his eyes. Blood-red. His eyes were actually blood-red. Even though Maka had seen them a number of times, their color never ceased to fascinate her.

Then she huffed as she remembered that he was being rude. She let go of his wheelchair to open the heavy doors before them, throwing Soul a pointed look. "Besides, I didn't say anything about your girlfriend did I?"

The weapon frowned. "What girlfriend?"

"You know, that woman who was cozying up to you last night." Here Maka paused, her hand on a doorknob. Putting on a sweet smile, "Come to think of it, you had looked pretty turned on back then. Did I interrupt something?"

"Tch." Soul leaned his head back and closed his eyes, frown still in place. "There was nothing to interrupt."

This time Maka rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Right."

He didn't answer, so she just shrugged and finally threw open the doors to reveal a mass of nurses and stretchers at work. Some just glanced at her and walked past, but one came forward in greeting, her arms and legs swathed in gauze.

The nurse looked over Soul, wheelchair and all, before swiveling her gaze to Maka. "Another appointment, I presume?" Her voice was clear and to the point, and Maka smiled.

"Of course, Miss Nygus." She trotted back to the wheelchair- her grin growing wider at Soul's curious gaze- and gripped the handles. "I don't think he needs much help, though," she amended as she pushed forward. "He's been talking fine this whole time."

"My colleague and I will be the judges of that," Miss Nygus answered, tapping her clipboard.

The doors shut softly behind them.

* * *

A/N: So, how was the second chapter? I think it still needed some work, but...eh. I'm almost never fully satisfied with what I put on this site. :P

That said, **please review**! The more reviews, the more likely the next chapter will come out sooner! (If my bad habits don't start kicking in...-_-)

Laterz~


	3. Problem

**Disclaimer: One day I went on a search for the rights to Soul Eater. I journeyed to the center of the Earth, but it wasn't there. I asked Chuck Norris, but he said he had no clue. I even ****flew across the world forwards and backwards, but no success. Therefore, I sadly do not own the rights to Soul Eater.**

Author's Note: **(Edit)** I fixed up some- well, a lot of mistakes I saw, especially the last part. -shudders- Really, what was I _thinking_?

That said, on to the new chappie! Hope you enjoy~

* * *

**Chapter 3: Problem**

"_You…had some sort of experience, didn't you? When some part of you turned into something completely different?"_

_Soul had been on the verge of walking off into the park before she uttered those questions. Now he turned and glared at her with a wary eye. _

_She was staring him down with a pensive gaze, her pigtails and white summer dress making her look more like a kindergartner than a young adult. He was no idiot; he knew exactly what she was talking about. But how did she know?_

_Unless…_

_No, that was impossible. He had told no one but his brother, and Wes was never careless with secrets._

"_What's it to you?" Soul groused. A small breeze blew through the trees in the park, stirring the ends of his hair and adding an extra bit of chill to his demeanor._

_The girl- Maka Albarn, she had just now introduced herself as- merely grinned and tilted her head, hands behind her back like any shy child. The sparkle in her green eyes, however, were anything but shy._

"_Because I know what you are."_

* * *

"Other than a bump and a headache, this weapon should be fine," the nurse concluded. Alongside her Miss Nygus frowned, but nodded nonetheless.

Fine? His head was telling him differently. Every time he twisted it this way and that, it felt like a crack opening up. "…Are you sure? It still hurts."

The nurse waved away his complaint. "Minor setbacks, nothing serious. A weapon should be able to handle those easily."

He put a hand to his forehead and ground his teeth against the throbbing pain. Where did this nurse learn her material? Sneaking a glance to the side, he could see that Maka was also having doubts.

"Maybe you should check it over, ma'am," she ventured. "He got hit with something very heavy-"

"Yes yes, a brick, correct?" A brick? That crazy chick hit him with a freakin' _brick_? How the heck did he escape getting into a coma? And _why_ was the nurse being so nonchalant about it?

Maka tried again. "Well, it was a…a kinda large brick…"

By now the nurse was getting annoyed, and Soul was becoming resigned with the fact that nothing Maka said was bound to get her attention or concern. "I have worked in this hospital for several years, little missy. Let me do my job and you stay quiet. I have no time or patience to deal with-"

"Perhaps some painkillers will be best, Nurse Marianne," interrupted Miss Nygus. Soul had forgotten she was there in the first place. "I'm sure that whatever complaints they have will be nullified then. Do I have permission to retrieve some from the storeroom?"

The nurse snapped her mouth shut with an indignant look, then hastily scribbled on a piece of paper. Tearing it off and handing it to her fellow nurse, she grumbled out, "Whiny brats. Get the ones from the box on the bottom shelf, Subordinate Nygus. This so-called injury isn't too much to worry about."

"Of course," answered the bandaged nurse as she stepped out the door. The other nurse stayed behind, but only to shoot a glare at the two before exiting.

"Tell Subordinate Nygus to give this weapon painkillers and nothing more. We can't afford to waste our resources when meisters are in need of them every day." And with a slam that made them both jump, she was gone.

"…Are you all right, Soul?" Maka asked after a few minutes of unbearable silence. He felt her fingers gripping his shoulder and back to ease him down flat on the hospital bed, and for some reason that soured his mood more. What was with her and _touching_ him all the time?

He jostled his shoulder out of her grip when his head hit the pillow. "Geez, you think? You know, the more I see of your school the more I wonder how sane it is." His neck creaked as he turned and gave her a critical frown. "And a _brick_? Why the hell did you even-"

The door slammed back open, but this time it was only Miss Nygus with a pills in one hand and a glass of murky liquid in the other. She raised a brow at the proximity of the two- Soul on the bed with Maka's other hand still trapped beneath his back- but simply set the glass down and dropped in the pills.

Maka freed her hand and stood to the side while Miss Nygus approached the boy and made him drink down the dissolving medicine. "I had this liquid specially prepared, so your head injury should heal in a matter of hours. Now drink," she ordered.

Soul did so, wincing at the bitter taste creeping down the sides of his throat. But the pain in his head was already easing up, so he didn't complain.

"And Maka," the nurse continued, angling her head towards the girl. "Perhaps next time you should make sure the students you go out to recruit don't run into such…accidents."

He watched as Maka bowed her head, those skinny pigtails of hers dangling and swaying every which way. Unbelievable how such an innocent-looking girl could throw a brick at his head. "I'll be more careful next time, Miss Nygus."

The woman nodded, then stood up and retrieved the glass. "You two are excused from this room now. I'm sure Mr. Sid wants to see our new recuit as soon as possible, and it's never a good idea to keep him waiting. Goodbye." And with that she left, leaving the door open for them.

Soul sighed, then slowly sat up. The pain in his head was now nothing more than a faint, repetitive ebb, so he guessed he could believe Miss Nygus. Though…

"Who's this Sid guy?" he asked, getting to his feet. He made sure not to look like he needed help; he didn't want that girl trying to touch him again.

"Mr. Sid is the one in charge of the Admissions Office." He followed Maka as she strode out the room and into the hall that led to the hospital wing's exit. "He checks each weapon and meister recruited into our school and gives them the general welcome."

General welcome, huh? He'd had enough of welcomes. "And what does this one involve, a metal pole?"

"Shut up," the girl demanded, her voice indicating another eye roll. They had reached the end of the hall. She slammed the hospital doors open and gave him a look that said- no, she didn't _dare_-

She did. That stupid girl actually gave him a look saying, _'What's your problem?'_

He gave her the finger.

* * *

Dean Sid Barett was a reasonable type of guy, if not a bit strange-looking. He even said so himself. But that was okay; he knew that it wasn't natural for a man to have blue skin and gaping, white eyes. Straightforward, honest, and reasonable: that was the kind of man he was.

So when his new worker, Maka, arrived at his office with a staggering boy suffering a dark purple bruise on the side of his face, the first thing he said was, "You should be ashamed of yourself."

"What are you talking about?" She kept smiling with the same innocence she had when she first arrived here, but he was not a man who was easily fooled. He knew full well why the new recruit was in such a shape, and the daggers the boy was eyeing her way was nothing less of an indication.

Ah, well. He had a job to do. Never slacking on the job, that was the kind of man he was. "Take a seat, both of you."

Both of them did so, the boy taking a seat that Mr. Sid noticed was farthest from the girl. It was disappointing that she wasn't able to get along with the first weapon she recruited.

Clearing his throat, "Welcome to Shibusen University. I am Sid Barrett, Dean of Admissions, but you can call me Mr. Sid like everyone else. I never was a man to be too formal with others. Now do you know why you are here, Soul Evans?"

The boy's eyes narrowed. "No frickin' idea- _ow! _What the hell, Maka!"

Mr. Sid privately sweat dropped. He knew full well that Maka had just now stomped on the new recruit's toes. "Maka, please try not to exert such…actions on our new recruits."

She turned up her nose and crossed her arms. "He's lying. I told him exactly what he was here for, ever since the first day I saw him."

"Bull," Soul growled. "You just sneaked up on me and said some stuff about me being a weapon and crap-"

"Because it's the truth! You _are_ a weapon! Honestly, how many times do I have to tell you-"

"Maka," Mr. Sid cut in, a handkerchief wiping away the multiple sweat drops now on his brow. "Maybe I should fill him in on the basics. It would be good for him to know this before the orientation, and there's nothing wrong with a little review."

Maka opened her mouth, then closed it. "Whatever," she huffed, glancing off to the side.

Mr. Sid's shoulders slumped. Why was she mad at _him_?He turned his attention to Soul and folded his hands on top of his desk. "Okay, Mr. Evans. First question: Do you have any idea what you are?"

Soul's eyes lidded. "If what _she_ said was true," his thumb pointed in her direction, "then I'm a weapon. Or a human that can change into one. Something like that. "

So Maka had told him after all. "Correct. And do you know what we do with weapons at our school?"

His frown deepened. "Battle."

Mr. Sid coughed. Was it him or was it getting tense in here? He never was a man who could properly discern the atmosphere. "Well, yes, battle- but not only that. Here at Shibusen University we cultivate both our weapons and the ones who wield them, the meisters."

Soul remained silent, and his frown didn't decrease by an inch.

He took a moment to stop and rummage through his drawer. Taking out an application form and pen, "Now write your name and weapon form here, your date of birth here, and your birthplace here. Oh, and don't forget your signature right…here."

The young man glanced at where Mr. Sid pointed, then folded his arms. "What's the point? You guys already know that stuff. Even if I refused to give my signature, your people would probably forge it."

Well, well, well. Mr. Sid was impressed. He could never bring himself to dislike a boy who could think on his toes. But… "Why do you say that, Soul Evans?"

"Because when this _weirdo_ first showed up she started spouting random stuff about my-"

"Hold on!" Maka interrupted. Mr. Sid had almost forgotten her in her deathly silence, but now she had flared back to life. "Weirdo? Who are you calling 'weirdo'?"

"The flat-chested girl who just won't- Aargh!" His words were cut off when said girl socked him on his untouched cheek, leaving another spot of purple. "What the hell was that for?!"

"For being an asshole obviously!"

Soul looked at her through the sharpest corners of his eyes and quietly growled, "Why don't you give your own face a makeover then?"

Thus, an eruption.

Mr. Sid put a hand to his head in exasperation. Maka was usually such a sweet girl, but her temper needed improvement.

"Enough," he cut in before things got uglier- by the burning looks on their faces, he was surprised that a war hadn't started yet. "You are right, Soul Evans. I could have this paper forged, and no one would know the difference. But even if you want to escape, do you know the way out?"

Maka glanced from one to the other, the anger on her features giving way to confusion. "Forgery? Escape? What are you talking about, Mr. Sid?" She fixed him with a scrutinizing look. "Is this one of your jokes?"

_This is no joke_. He didn't have the heart to tell her that, to ruin her view of the world she now belonged to. Had it really been only four months since she first arrived at this school, wide-eyed and filled with childish longing?

"You really are stupid."

Surprised, he looked up and saw Soul staring at the girl like she had hit her head somewhere. "You really don't know? I haven't even been here a full day yet, and even I could see it!"

"See what?" _So innocent_, Mr. Sid thought as he gazed wistfully at the blank expression on the girl's face. _So innocent and oblivious_. "Really, I don't know what you guys are talking about."

"…" For a moment the boy looked speechless. Then his face darkened as he slowly turned his head away. "If you really wanna stay that clueless, then I'll let you. It's not like I'm responsible for you anyways."

"No seriously Soul, what are you-"

Time for him to jump in. "If it's escape you really want, then perhaps we can have a bargain, Soul Evans."

Both teenagers fell silent. Maka's eyes widened, but Soul simply sat there with a facial expression of steel.

"However, you need to attend the orientation first before we can strike our bargain," Mr. Sid continued. "Do I have your word that you will attend this school?"

Soul didn't answer. It was obvious that he was weighing pros and cons in his head, but there was not much time for long decisions. Hasty and decisive, that was the kind of man he was.

"Soul Evans. Is your answer yes, or no?"

The boy closed his eyes, his frown still fixed on his face. The large grandfather clock _tick-tocked _for up to thirty-two seconds on the dot when he opened his eyes and said, "Fine."

Mr. Sid didn't miss the sudden grin on Maka's face. He could feel one forming on his, too.

Soul reached for the pen. "But don't think that I've given up yet. Any road I have to get out of here, I'll take it."

He could see Maka frown out of the corner of his eye. "Why do you keep saying that kind of stuff? It's not like- hey, why are you signing your name like that?"

The dean glanced at the paper. There, in a calligraphic flourish sure to be envied by any talented scribe, was the name _Soul Eater_.

An alias.

Smart boy.

He cleared his throat. "Well then. There's just one thing we need to do before you leave-" A little rummaging through his drawer again, and out came an instant camera. "I need to take a picture of you in a fully or partially transformed state. For confirmation, of course."

"Of course," Soul echoed, his features blank. He sighed, then stood up and pushed away from his chair. Eyes staring straight into Mr. Sid's, he stretched out his arm. Then came a bright white light that Mr. Sid was all too used to-

Aha. A long, sleek, red-and-black blade was now in place of the boy's arm. A scythe blade.

Mr. Sid stared, the boy stared, Maka stared. When he glanced at her, she suddenly opened her mouth.

"Beautiful."

"Too bad you aren't."

Mr. Sid got in a quick snap of the camera a mere second before Maka's impending- and fatal- retaliation. Removing the picture, he reached for his pen and started his own signature on the photo. _Sid Bar_.._._

"Hey! Quit doing that!" Soul shouted, and Mr. Sid glanced up to witness the sight of Maka running her hands across a smooth part of his arm-blade, the boy himself sporting another bruise on his forehead. "Let go, you idiot girl!"

He blinked, and in front of his eyes flashed a much different scene from years ago- a boy far younger than he was now, the fresh cornrows in his hair twitching as he beamed a nervous smile towards a serious, yet eager girl with knives for fingers…

His smile slackened as he bent his head forward to finish his signature.

"Welcome to Shibusen," he whispered, a bitter taste in his mouth. His voice passed throughout the room, unnoticed and unheard above the blaring argument between the two before him.

* * *

"And that's where the science building is, and- oh! That's the food court. It's got everything, from Italian takeout to Indian cuisine!"

Soul didn't even spare a glance towards where Maka was pointing. "Oi, that man told you to take me to the dorms, not give me the grand tour."

She sighed and dropped her hand, her energy deflating. "Don't you want to at least know the place a little to settle in better?"

"Yeah yeah, whatever," Soul grumbled. He pushed past Maka and continued down the hallway. "I don't care about all that. All I want to do is escape from this hellhole."

His shoes lightly squeaked against the floor as he continued moving forward. There was no response from the girl, and he preferred it that way. He'd rather not listen to her annoying blabbing.

"..._What_?"

He had thought too soon.

With a slouch to his shoulders he turned around. Maka was just standing there, looking at him as if he'd sprouted an extra leg. What was her problem?

"Escape?" she echoed back, her expression obviously confused. "Is that all you're going to say? When I had asked you before if you didn't want to leave your life behind, you never said _no_."

Soul unconsciously inched backwards. Her volume was rising. That was never a good thing.

Maka stepped towards him, then stopped and looked at the floor, her brows deep furrows on her forehead. By the way she was glaring, it was as if the floor had just offended her. "I...I thought you were like me. I thought you had wanted a new life too." She faced him suddenly, and Soul was caught off guard by the tiny, almost unnoticeable glint of moisture in her eyes. "I guess I was wrong."

With that she turned and stiffly walked away.

And Soul was alone.

* * *

A/N Edited: Tried my best to fix this up. Especially the last part.

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed anyways. **Please review** for quicker updates! b^^d

* * *


	4. What You Want

**Disclaimer: One desperate day I got a hold of Mary Poppins and asked her to submerge me into the world of Gangan. For some reason she did, and with joy I explored all the different worlds there were in search of the rights to Soul Eater. Then one day- I found it! It was red, and shiny, and was all round and glowy and made of stone! I was SO happy! :DDD**

**Then I got a tap on the shoulder, and I turned around to see Edward Elric holding out an expectant hand and staring at me like I was a weirdo. "Sorry, but that's mine. Wrong series, stupid."**

**And with a sob I realized that I was sadly mistaken, and that what I was holding in my hand wasn't even close to what I was looking for. Therefore...I don't have the rights to Soul Eater (or Fullmetal Alchemist or Mary Poppins, to be on the safe side). -sobs some more-**

Author's Note: Yet another funny attempt at a disclaimer, harhar. And yes, I know that I'm over a month overdue, and I am sorry for that. -_- My reason? College. Moving in, getting classes together, studying for tests, stuff like that. Not a day goes by when I'm not busy...and I hafta admit, it's kinda fun. XD

Oh yeah- I have something VERY IMPORTANT to tell you readers:

Lots of people have been commenting how much they liked the idea of this story, and I must give props where props are due. For one, the foundation of this plot came from the story **A Soul's Songbook**, by **Heart of Perpetual Ice**. It is a story that is WAY better than mine, with better detail and background stories and the like. I **strongly** suggest you read this if you don't mind reading a rated M story; even if you do, there's really only one or two chapters that are strong, and there's a lack of full-blown smut for the sake of a VERY good plot. I beg of you, from one avid reader to another, to read this if you want a good- no, GREAT- reading experience!

Another story that I kind of got influenced by is a story that I helped beta: **Thicker Than Water**, by **Maksou**. Her story only has one chapter so far, but it has really great potential and deserves to be read too! The AU universe there is quite unusual and deserves to be explored by avid readers like you and me! ^^

But that aside, thank you readers **so much** for your comments last chapter! I'm sorry I couldn't respond to all of them, but this time around I will definitely make an effort to do so!

-coughs- Okay, now on to the story. I've revised it as much as I could to prevent mistakes (like last chapter -_- ), but eh, I think I'll look it over again later. Enjoy~

* * *

**Chapter 4: What (Do) You Want**

_He had just finished his bath when a manservant knocked on the door. "Master Soul, a guest is here to see you."_

"_A guest?" he had asked, buttoning his collar. He didn't have any friends, so there was no chance it would be a simple house call. An inquiring patron, perhaps? "Escort the guest to the drawing room and tell him or her I'll be there soon enough."_

"_Of course, Master Soul."_

_When he later strolled into the room, he surprised to find that it was not a balding man or overeager woman that he had kept waiting, but a girl._

_That same damn girl._

_She put down the teacup in her hand, grinning at his blatant displeasure. "C'mon, Soul, don't make that kind of face."_

"_What-" He paused, waiting for his throat to work properly. "What do you want?"_

_She curled a lock of hair around her finger. "It's not about what I want. What do __**you**__ want, Soul?"_

_Suddenly he didn't know what to say._

* * *

Soul sighed and fidgeted in his seat, his apprehension obvious.

Who knew that the student orientation for this thing would be the day after he got here? He obviously didn't. No wonder Maka was so desperate to…

Maka.

"Welcome, new weapons. I am Mr. Asura, president of Shibusen University, and it is a great pleasure to have you all here."

The words and polite applause slide over him like butter on a hot knife. Even though he didn't think of Maka as a friend, he was at least…familiar with her. She was the only familiar face around here. And now he had somehow gone and messed it up like the jerk he was.

"Now at Shibusen University there are a few rules that all weapons must follow-"

Those words she had said- _I guess I was wrong_- what was that all about? He wouldn't know. He had never really been around anyone as much as he'd been around Maka- save for his piano tutor, who was old and bald and only talked to him when it came to correcting his mistakes. Other than piano, there wasn't much else that others had expected of him.

"- must never fight with a meister. To do so may result in expulsion. And lastly-"

But what was it that Maka expected of him?

"-relations with a meister above partnership. Such circumstances are not considered worthy of an efficient team meant to hunt down the evil that plagues this world. Now, any questions?"

The silence that nudged Soul finally woke him up to what was going on. Wait, did he just miss the whole speech?

_Crap_. He took a quick glance around the silent crowd, then at- who was that? Oh, right, the president of the school. Mr. Asura.

He narrowed his eyes. When it came to appearances, Mr. Asura had a little bit to work on. His business suit was classy and smart, but his skin was pale, like a vampire's, and his _hair_- what did he do, tie pieces of paper around each of his locks when he was bored?

…And why was everyone so quiet?

Just as that thought crossed his mind, a few hesitant claps sounded to his left. They were followed by a few more, and soon enough there was a sizable applause and Mr. Asura was waving his way off the stage with a huge grin.

A grin that Soul found undeniably strange.

* * *

"Now there are several meisters who have volunteered to give you weapons an official tour of our school. You will all be grouped by the numbers on the cards in your hands."

Soul looked at his card. Lucky number 7, huh?

"The meister holding up your number is your tour guide for this evening. Now go off into your groups, and good luck!" the announcer exclaimed.

Everyone in the audience stood up and began milling around, Soul following suit. He looked around and spotted the sign for his group…about twenty feet from where he was standing. With everyone else crowding in-between. Great.

He refrained from sighing as he moved through the crowd, all the while straining his eyes to keep sight of the red-numbered sign. Quite a few people pushed and shoved, and it took all his cool to keep his patience in check.

Finally, he was there. The guy holding the sign gave him a scrutinizing stare as he approached, a glint of light bouncing off his thick glasses and highlighting the warm brown of his skin.

"Weapon type?" the boy prompted. Soul raised a brow, but decided to answer anyway.

"Scythe."

"Name?"

Interesting. He was more interested in his weapon type than his name. "Soul. Soul…Eater."

The boy raised a brow at what Soul knew was a stupid excuse for a name, but evidently let it go as he nodded and ordered, "Okay, Scythe Soul." _Scythe Soul?_ "Looks like you're the only one coming along on this-"

"Um, wait, please! Is this Group 7?"

Both boys turned and received a simultaneous case of jaw-drop.

Because standing only three feet from them was a girl that was, well, gorgeous. Her hair was in a tall, sleek ponytail of ebony hair, and her skin looked soft, and those legs of hers looked long and shapely even under that funny ninja wear-

'_Get a hold of yourself, idiot!'_ he mentally chastised when a telltale bloom of color formed on the girl's cheeks. Damn his stupid hormones. What was the point of getting all hot and bothered over one pretty girl? He had met lots of pretty girls before- and done more besides- all thanks to his prestige and status. Probably the only one he had met who wasn't in the least bit fabulous was-

A cough snapped him out of the strange pang flooding through his chest. Tour boy seemed to have come to his senses as well. "Weapon type?"

The girl bowed. "Ninja blade."

"Holy crap," the boy whispered, incredulous, and Soul glanced his way just in time to see his eyes widen enough to pop out of his head. "You wouldn't happen to be…_that_ ninja blade? From the Nakatsukasa family?"

"Yes," the girl affirmed, still in her bowed position, and Soul couldn't help wondering if she was feeling the blood flow to her head by now. "My full name is Tsubaki Nakatsukasa."

Their guide gave a surprised whistle, then quickly shook himself out of his stupor. "Alright. Name's Kilik, but to you guys I'm _Meister _Kilik." He emphasized this with a thumb pointed to his chest. "Now Ninja Blade Tsubaki and Scythe Soul, follow me."

* * *

"Maka!"

She turned at the sound of Mr. Sid's voice, fighting to keep her expression…normal. As normal as she could make it, anyways.

"Do you need something, Mr. Sid?" Since becoming his employee, it wasn't unusual for him to ask her to run a personal errand or two. Sometimes it would be a much-needed cup of coffee, or even a trip to the local grocery store to satisfy some strange craving he acquired throughout the week. "Is it pears again?"

The man gave her a nervous chuckle. "No no, nothing like that. I was wondering if you could do me a different sort of favor this time."

Favor? She was merely an employee. Since when did he have to ask her for a _favor?_ Suddenly Maka felt as though she had chosen a bad time to walk down this particular hallway. "What…what do you need, Mr. Sid?"

"I was wondering if you could escort Soul Eater to my office right after his tour."

The blow to her stomach was so palpable she almost choked. Why, _why_ did these kinds of things often happen to her? "W-what for?"

"I need to talk with him more clearly on his role here in Shibusen. It is very important that he knows of this before retiring to his dorms tonight. Can I trust you to do this for me, right on the dot?" Mr. Sid was no longer hesitant. He was in full confidence now, his arms folded and commanding.

And Maka knew that it would be futile to refuse, especially considering that he was her employer. She bent her head in defeat, her voice low. "Yes, Mr. Sid. I'll see to it right away." No matter much she didn't want to.

"Is something the matter, Maka?" Mr. Sid asked, peering closer at her face. Her heart accelerated with panic, and she forgot to hold back a wince. "Aha, so it is. You can always tell me- after all, I was always a man who could understand others' predicaments quite-"

"No," Maka cut in, and the dean's eyebrows lifted. "I mean…Sorry, but nothing's wrong, Mr. Sid. Everything's fine. I better go check on Soul now."

She quickly turned and trotted away, leaving a confused dean in her wake.

* * *

Soul decided that Kilik- no, _Meister_ Kilik, was quite the serious kid.

Everything he had pointed out on their tour was nothing short of informative and to the point. While usually tour guides resorted to cheesy ice breakers to be more familiar with their visitors, Kilik did no such thing; in fact, it was as if his goal was to be as _un_familiar with them as possible.

"Here's the library. And right next to it, the boy's dorms for the weapons. Except for special conditions, weapons and meisters do not share dorm or apartment buildings on the campus. If they wish to share an apartment off-campus, they must see the president himself to get special permission, plus get letters of recommendation from at least three faculty members. On top of that, they must renew their permission every year."

"Of course," murmured Tsubaki, and Soul glanced her way. She didn't look confused or shocked at these outrageous requirements, but rather like she knew about this kind of thing all along. So she wasn't new to these conditions, or what?

He considered just asking her, then decided against it. He still didn't exactly know how things were around here, and he didn't want to give this kid an excuse to send _Scythe Soul_ to some higher-up for some kind of insubordination or something.

"And right here is the student center, which is open twenty-four hours each day." Here (Meister) Kilik stopped, and they stopped with him. He then let out a breath, taking off his glasses and cleaning the lens with his shirt.

"That's the end of the tour. Any- Oh, hey Maka."

Soul froze at the sight of the last person he wanted to see right now. This day was just getting better and better.

"Hello, Kilik," she replied, smiling. "Is your tour over yet? I need to borrow one of the newbies for a while."

Kilik raised a brow and put his glasses back on. "Really? What for?"

Maka grabbed Soul's hand and tugged him behind her. "Sorry, can't tell. But I'll see you later, ok?"

"Ok…" Soul heard behind him, but he wasn't really paying attention. He was too busy trying not to trip over his feet as Maka towed him towards the main building, her grip on his hand as unrelenting as unrelenting could get.

* * *

When they were out of sight from fellow students, Maka made sure to throw his hand away from her grasp as far as possible and walk ahead. "Hurry up. Mr. Sid said he had something important to tell you, and it's never good to make him wait too long."

She didn't hear any response behind her, which was good. There didn't need to be any unnecessary conversation between them anyway. He had made it perfectly clear yesterday that he wanted nothing to do with this place, and nothing to do with her.

But…

When she had first seen him, he had looked so…lonely. Sitting there, playing the piano for no one else to hear. So devoid of anyone who had truly wanted him around.

Just like she had been.

Maka bent her head and sighed, squeezing a hand into a moderate fist. All she had wanted was for Soul to lose that look he had on his face- that hard, closed-off look that told more than it wanted to.

It hurt to know that it was no use anyways.

"Maka."

She almost stopped, a foolish thread of hope curling against her chest, but caught herself and kept right on walking. His footsteps hurried behind her, and her lips tightened as a hand clamped firmly down on her shoulder. "Maka, wait."

She jostled off his hold, glaring at the nearing door of Mr. Sid's office and quickening her stride. "Get away from me."

Soul didn't respond after that, and they stopped right in front of the door in stifled silence. Her job complete, she turned to leave him to whatever business he had with Mr. Sid and find someplace to be alone.

"So that's how it's going to be, huh?"

Of their own will- because _she_ certainly didn't feel like sticking around- her feet stopped in their tracks. And stayed there.

"I have no idea what I did yesterday, but it must have been something major for you to be this pissed off."

She didn't know when she turned around. "Shut up."

His eyes were solemn beads, narrowing into pinpricks of restraint. "Is it because I said I wanted to get away from here?"

Once again Maka felt her insides sink with despair, but all she could get out was anger. "Of course it is. You've barely gotten to know the place, and already you want out!"

As if catching a yawn, Soul's features clouded over with the same anger she displayed. "Because you forced me here, Sherlock! What, did you expect me to feel _happy_ about getting a brick thrown to my head and then getting dragged to some place I-"

Maka stomped her foot with irritation and blurted out, "I just wanted you to belong somewhere!"

That one statement effectively shut him up. His eyes widened, as if she had just told him her deepest, darkest secret.

She wasn't done yet. "It wasn't about getting employee points, or anything like that. It's just that you always had this look on your face, like you thought everything was pointless. I know it was stupid of me, but I just thought that maybe if you came here you wouldn't be so alone anymore!"

There. She said it. Feet still planted, she straightened with a glare to ready herself for anything- a snarky retort, a snide question, anything.

Instead he frowned. Then he frowned some more. His mouth tightened and slacked, like he was trying to decide which words to let loose and which ones to keep in.

_Creeeak_.

They broke out of their silent stalemate, and Maka looked over at their intruder- Mr. Sid. He was standing just behind his office door, both eyebrows raised at the tense atmosphere dissipating before his intrusion. In a flash of panic she wondered if he had heard their whole argument just now.

He crossed his arms and peered down at Soul, whose expression had smoothed over into a blank slate. "If you are done with your discussion, Soul Eater, we need to talk about something very important in my office."

"…" Soul merely stared up at the dean, and Maka could see that he was just as confused as she felt. Well, this wasn't her business, and she wasn't one to pry into other people's affairs. As far as she was concerned, her and Soul's "discussion" _was_ over.

"Hmph," she sniffed. Picking up her feet, she resumed her exit. Whatever futile relationship or bond she had with Soul- it was gone now.

"Oi, shortstack!" Soul called from behind.

She didn't even slow down at the offending nickname. "It was nice knowing you-"

"Sorry."

Her breath caught in her throat, and she swiveled her head around. He met her surprise with apparent nonchalance, his mouth in that same stubborn line that always tickled her. _He's serious_, she realized with a start. _He's serious about all this…and…_

A small blush formed on her cheeks when she noticed Mr. Sid watching the whole thing.

Clearing her throat, she muttered a barely audible, "Don't worry about it."

This time she ran.

* * *

Sitting in front of a cross-armed Mr. Sid, his legs aching from standing and walking all day, all Soul could do was think a single thought.

What a stupid girl.

Over and over that sentence repeated itself in his head- and it was true. Maka _was_ stupid. She was naïve and didn't know much about her surroundings, especially if he's catching on to them before she is. How long had she been here, anyways?

Oh, and then there was that _'I just wanted you to belong somewhere'_ crap. What did she know? Just how did she expect to waltz around with that vapid brain of hers and think that she could-

That she could so accurately get how other people felt.

He sighed. Perceptive, but not perceptive. That girl probably didn't know just how much she was a contradiction of herself, and that sort of thing always led to trouble one way or another. Anyone like her probably needed serious looking after, just to make sure they don't get taken advantage of by the wrong kind of people or something like that.

"I understand what you're going through, Soul Eater."

He didn't remember closing his eyes. Snapping them open, they swept a quick glance around the office, past the locked door, and rested back on the dean in front of him.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded, angry for several reasons. He was suddenly tired from everything today, and all he wanted was to go to his new dorm and sleep. What was he doing here?

Mr. Sid merely nodded his head, not even taking note of his rudeness. "I always was a man who could understand woman problems. It was what made my partnership efficient, back in the good old days. Of course, my partner wasn't any regular woman-"

"What do you need me here for, Mr. Sid?" Soul interrupted. He didn't exactly feel like Memory Lane right now. "What was so important that you had to call me out after tours?"

It took only a split second for the dean's expression to turn serious. The man's brows furrowed, his mouth widening into a full-toothed grimace.

"Are you willing to fight for what you want?"

* * *

A/N: And that's all (for now), folks! Hope you enjoyed the chappie, and if you could, **please review!** b^^d

[-to self- Yosh! On to writing the next chappie (after studying for my Sociology test)!]


	5. Professor

**Disclaimer: ****Ladies and gentlemen, I am thoroughly pleased to announce that as of today, I FINALLY OWN SOUL EATER! Now there will be at least 15 SoMa moments a panel, complete with numerous shippers on deck that will include but will certainly not be limited to Spirit, Gopher, Giriko, and EXCALIBUR! BOW BEFORE MY AWESOMENESS! HAHAHAHAHAH-**

******-television fizzle-**

**Announcer: We interrupt this broadcast to announce what is truly a momentous occasion- not only have the Japanese police force and the FBI come together to bring down this heinous maniac, but also fans of a certain "Soul Eater" who have proclaimed themselves doubly as fans of "BlaTsu" and other strange-sounding names of people who apparently star in this media phenomenon. All are saying one thing: "Ruined Forever."**

**Me: -being dragged away by police and screaming fans to my doom- I was just kidding! It was a joke! I don't own Soul Eater! I DON'T OWN SOUL EATERRRR!**

**...So yeah, since that's basically what might happen should I ever come into possession of Soul Eater...I don't own Soul Eater.  
**

Author's Note: Readers old and new, rejoice- for the unthinkable has happened! This is..._an update_!

-crickets-

Alright, I know...I have been sorely remiss in not updating. Unfortunately, folks...remember that sociology test I was studying for after writing the last chapter? Well, it got in the way of all the ideas that I wanted to write down, and then even when I wrote down more ideas after the test...none of them could stick. I would rewrite scene upon scene and yet know that it wasn't going to fit or it wasn't good enough...and then they stopped altogether. O.O Yeah, writer's block struck me weird this time around.

Then right when I was starting to actually write something I wanted to submit...I went to China for a study abroad program. (By the way, folks, 你好(hello) from China!) And I got so caught up in actually BEING (and still being) in China that writer's block hit me again. -_-

Thankfully, I started forcing myself to follow a writing schedule everyday for all the stories I never finished (which are a LOT, btw), and finally generated enough material to produce this chappie here! So with all hope of you guys somehow managing to forgive me and enjoy this at the same time...here you go. You guys are awesome for sending reviews even when it was obvious I hadn't updated in a while, and you deserve this (slightly larger than usual) update.

Now, on to the chappie! b^^d

* * *

**Chapter 5: Professor**

_She didn't know what she was doing here._

_The more she thought about it, the more determined she was to stay right where she was, immobile and huddled in a corner of the dingy room That Man had put her in. It was nothing but a mistake. It was a fluke. Sooner or later That Man will come back and tell her that this was all nothing more than a great misunderstanding._

_She and the other children had always known of That Man: how he would sometimes visit and do nothing but sit and stare at all of them as they played, did chores, or- in her case- sit in a corner somewhere. How he always came covered in stitches, not only on his clothes but his hands and face as well. And, most astounding of all- that thing stuck in the middle of his head. _

_No one knew where That Man came from, or what he wanted. _

_Until today._

_The door creaked open, and she peered through the slats of her folded arms to see That Man walking in with two plates of steaming food. He put them on the wooden table in the center of the room, sitting down and facing away from her as he did so._

_She closed her eyes. She wasn't hungry, and would rather sleep instead._

_Just as her thoughts were starting to sink into dreams, a rancid smell hooked her back into awareness. Glancing up with a wrinkled nose, she saw that That Man had lit a cigarette, puffing it directly over his food. How disgusting._

"_You should eat," came his quiet voice- the same voice he had used to affirm to the caretakers that yes, she was indeed the child he wanted. A voice that she still did not trust._

_Once more, she closed her eyes._

_

* * *

_

Hmm. It looks like he'll be late.

Ah, well. He had no regrets in arriving ten minutes late to the 8 a.m. class he was to teach this morning. Though perhaps he shouldn't have followed his routine of staying up until the crack of dawn, doing the usual…but what he had on his table yesterday was quite special and begged for more insight. He hadn't felt such a thrill in months- so much knowledge gained, so much of his curiosity satisfied!

If only his daughter had been there to share in the experience, as she had been countless times before. Nothing doing- he would be sure to see her today, now that her summer job had ended and she had to go back to school.

Huh. The door to his class, and beyond it a bunch of chickens with sawed-off wings chattering and shrieking in their pain. He could feel his hands shaking in anticipation of wrangling their vulnerable little necks.

At his contrivance, the door gave an extra loud _creeeak_ as he walked in- the first of the pointed messages he would no doubt have to send towards his students today.

As expected, the noise in the room was quick to lower itself to dead silence. If he had any less self-control, he would have thrown an amused smirk at the heightened apprehension coming from such fresh blood.

…Or maybe not. He didn't have to look at the class to know that there was one student- of course the most important- who wasn't here yet. Now how was that possible…?

Putting aside that enigma for the moment, he walked towards his desk. Setting his bag down, he proceeded to take out the items that he would be demonstrating/ teaching with that morning: the class textbook, a pen, a scalpel, something that had been left in there for dead about a few months ago, and of course a couple pieces of chalk.

His class started buzzing, and he looked up.

Perfect. Complete silence once more.

"Good morning, class," he greeted, sitting in his designated rolling chair. He reached up and tweaked what he knew was the main reason everyone was staring at him with such a dumbfounded look; already he could see straight through all the students here.

It was too bad his latecomer wasn't here to offset their stupidity.

"I am Professor Stein, and I will be your teacher for Soul Resonance 111 this semester."

* * *

First day of the semester and she forgot to set her alarm the night before. Now she was twenty minutes late for her first class. _Twenty_!

She struggled to catch her breath while standing in front of the classroom she ran halfway across campus to reach; she had taken care to find out where all her classrooms were the day before, in case of emergencies like this. Inhaling once more, she straightened her tie and skirt, then…

"You're late, Meister Maka," the lecturer dryly intoned as she opened the door. Damn. She should've known that even making a quiet entrance wasn't enough to make Professor skip a beat.

She gave a short bow. "Deepest apologies, Professor."

Professor turned his head and went back to his lecture. "Now class, as I was saying: this particular animal is unusual in that its heart is located in its tail, protected by tailbones that can withstand 10 tons of concrete. I want you to pay _close_ attention as I make an incision here…"

Why was she still standing near the door like an idiot? She needed to find a seat so that she could take notes on what she was watching!

Maka swept a quick glance around the room. With this being a meister-weapon conjoined class, most of the seats were already filled up with students either transfixed in horror at the gory display- one that she was now missing- or turning away from the brutality. Others were dozing off, apparently tired from staying up all night.

But where was Soul? He supposed to have this class too- ah, there he was, at one of the higher-placed desks grimacing along with the rest…and with no empty seat around him at all.

Then her gaze caught at a desk near the front- where she should have looked first, of course- where an empty seat stood next to a girl who for some reason looked familiar.

'_Never mind that, a seat is a seat.'_ She moved towards the girl, whose expression didn't differ too much from that of the surrounding students, and gave her a light tap on the shoulder.

"Is this seat taken?" she whispered, and the girl smiled and shook her head while making room for her to sit. Maka smiled back as she sat and fumbled for her notebook and pen. Maybe she could write enough notes to help prepare for what might appear on an upcoming pop quiz or test.

"And if you insert this scalpel into its rectus, you will find that there are three fluid-filled sacs just inside, each just as large as its bladder should be. Again, pay attention as I do a clean cut past its intestine and confirm that it does indeed have a bladder, among other things…"

It was all Maka could do to write and stare in awe at the same time. Just where did Professor find this creature? It was magnificent! If only she had arrived on time to view and properly document what it had inside its stomach- it looked like that part had already been dissected and looked through. Such a shame she missed the opportunity to get some information for private research…

"W-what is this guy? He's spilling blood all over like he's a serial killer or something!"

"Of course he's a serial killer! Don't you see the freakin' giant screw where his brain should be?"

As if on cue to the students' obnoxious whispering just behind her, Professor lifted an arm and turned the bolt of said screw. _Crick, crick, criiiick._

Unsurprisingly, several gasps erupted around the classroom. "Why did the university hire this Stein guy anyway? All he's teaching us is the bloody mutilation of animals!"

"Shh! He might look this way, and _then_ we'll be in trouble!"

Hmph. Wusses. How was it that so many students were either too chicken or too blind to acknowledge that Professor was a genius? Their simple-mindedness was almost enough to make her crush her pen to bits.

Well, Maka thought with a glance towards the girl next to her, at least this student wasn't muttering complaints along with the rest. She was even taking notes…well, kind of. It was probably hard to write when your face was scrunched up in a grimace of horror.

But she could only hope that Soul was doing at least just as much- it wouldn't be good for him to fail any of the tests or quizzes in this class. She should probably talk to him about it afterwards, maybe even encourage him a little…if he felt like accepting such things from her.

No, this was for his own good. He had _better_ accept her help, or her name wasn't Maka-

Her name.

"_Name's Maka. Maka Albarn."_

…Shit. This wasn't good.

* * *

Soul fought hard to keep the dreadful shivers from rolling down his spine as he stumbled out the door. It was only 10 in the morning, but he already felt drained from the horrors he was forced to witness during his first class with- _him_.

Professor Franken Stein. Alias for Whacked Out of His Mind.

He had been prepared for many things at this school, especially after Mr. Sid's enlightening 'pep talk' last week. But nothing had prepared him for a professor who was covered in what looked like self-inflicted stitches, had a real blast with dissecting whatever lurked in the dark corners of his suitcase, and somehow had a big fat screw taking residence in his skull. Again, just how could Maka not notice that something was weird about this school?

…Though he had to admit that it was pretty cool of that dense girl to be the only one in class unfazed by the professor's appearance. He even caught sight of her actually watching and taking notes during the dissection.

And she thought she wasn't a weirdo.

"Soul, wait up!"

Speak of the devil. To be honest, he was surprised that with her track record he managed a weekend without seeing neither hair nor hide of her scrawny-

"I said, wait _up!_"

"Argh!" Something collided with his head, and he was kissing tile. Man, this again? "Maka, what the hell!"

"Hmph." Her shoes came within his line of sight. "I had to get your attention somehow. And get up, people are staring."

"How is that my fault?" Soul grumbled, sitting up. Great, now his head was throbbing. Why was it always throbbing when _she_ was involved? He glared at Maka, whose skinny pigtails and pouting face were making her look even more like a little kid than usual. "And if you're so desperate for my attention, then why don't you just send letters and baked goods like any normal girl would?"

She sighed and squatted down to his level. "Soul, just stand up already."

"Whatever you say," he growled. Then he glanced up and down her figure as she rose to stand with him. "What happened to your wardrobe? Did it just up and die over the weekend?"

Maka socked him on the shoulder. "What the hell is wrong with you? My clothes are perfectly fine."

"Yeah, right," he snorted, ignoring the throbbing now near his collarbone. "Sweater vest? Plaid skirt? Seriously, why do you have such a weird fashion sense?"

Another sock to the shoulder. "Look who's talking. All you're wearing is a white t-shirt and jeans- I think it's _your_ usual fashion sense that died over the past few days!"

Soul frowned at that. "Right, because I should've chosen something better from the million outfits I never got to pack."

"O-oh." He didn't know what to think as her gaze shifted downwards from obvious guilt. It was her forceful methods that got him here in the first place, and yet she looked so sorry about the whole thing…he scratched his head and sighed.

"Mr. Sid gave me these. Said I could buy my own once I get a job or complete my extra credit assignments, whatever that means."

Maka appeared to not like that piece of information for some reason- her brow had creased, and her eyes were narrowed as they continued staring at the floor. He snapped his fingers in front of her face. "Shortstack."

Instead of being mauled with brutal intensity again like he expected, she glanced up and said with all seriousness, "We need to talk."

He didn't have any time to object before she tugged on his arm and pulled him down the nearest hallway.

* * *

She didn't know where to start- his sudden mention of extra-curricular assignments had reminded her of a painful realization that was hard to deal with. Now it was a bit hard to focus on what she actually wanted to tell him.

Well, there was always…

"Your grade," she mentioned to Soul as she steered him down another hallway. They almost knocked over some students as they pushed past, and she was certain she felt some disgruntled glares being directed their way. "If you want to keep it up in Professor's class, you may want to take some good notes instead of holding your breath and turning away like you're about to puke."

"How do you know about- wait, you're taking me somewhere private to give me _school tips_?"

By now they had reached a corridor where there were no students walking or resting along the wall. She dropped Soul's arm, not even bothering to turn and face him as they continued walking. "Well, not only that, but I'm serious, Soul. You do _not_ want to fail Soul Resonance 111."

"What makes you think I was so determined to do so in the first place?" Soul retorted. "Now where are we? I have to get to my next class."

Maka fought the strong urge to facepalm. She knew that he didn't have any class for the next three hours today- such was the benefit of her job under Mr. Sid. "Soul, quit spouting bull-"

It struck without warning.

Whatever noise there was immediately dimmed to almost nothing, as though someone had turned down a volume button. The edges of her vision turned gray, then black. Her eyes felt as though they had been reworked with crystal, refined with blazing flame.

His soul was strong. Frayed around the edges. A bit…twisted. But even though its undoubtedly blue color was so bleached, lifeless, and on the verge of turning white…there was a bit of a shine to it.

There was something else, too: other flickers of light, appearing on all sides of her viewpoint and most of them looking quite far away. But none of these lights were coming from Soul…

A soft, sharp intake of breath. They couldn't be-

It zipped away as quickly as it came, right before she could reach any sort of logical conclusion. The sudden increase in light and sound was enough to make her head pang, and she collapsed in a heavy slump against the wall.

This wasn't good. While she had to admit that it was kind of nice getting a peek at his soul, the point was that she _didn't control this_. She thought that she was done with these sudden flashes, these stabbing moments of pain, the horrible feeling of knowing people more than she should…forever. This was more than just a worrying matter, this was serious. Serious enough to tell…

"Father," she whispered. Up ahead, Soul turned around, his nonchalant expression twisting as he raised a brow at her sudden stop and change in posture.

"…What are you doing?" he asked, skepticism rolling out of that one question in waves. He backtracked towards her and reached out a hand, surprising Maka enough to push herself off the wall and do a little backtracking herself. Soul, offering her a helping hand?

"N-nothing," she forced out, and Soul watched her for a moment before shrugging and retracting his hand back into his pocket. Once she got over her moment of astonishment she began to hurry past him down the hallway. "Anyways, I have to go. Guess I'll see you later?"

"Hold it," Soul called out, agitation seeping back into his voice. "Didn't you say you had something important to tell me? Somehow I don't think it was just tips on getting good grades in that freak's class, _Meister Maka_."

It took only a split second for her to face him, a warning glare settling over her features. "He's not a freak- and it's just Maka."

He raised a brow. " 'Just Maka?' What is that supposed to mean?"

It was the question itself that deepened her glare. "It means that I don't like being called by any name other than my own." Unbidden flashes of certain ugly memories crawled over her flesh, only to just as suddenly flit away in front of the sudden curiosity of Soul's gaze.

She cut him off before he could say anything. "And that's just what I have to talk to you about. My name."

The expression on his face was a perfect substitute for the flat _'What'_ she was sure he had in mind.

Maka moved in closer to him, her voice lowering as she checked the hallway for possible eavesdroppers. She didn't see anyone, but just before, when she lost control and 'took a peek' at Soul's soul…weren't there some lights that were-

"Your name?" Soul (un)helpfully interrupted, his expression now more bored than ever. "Are you going to say something, or are we just going to stand around all day?"

She huffed in exasperation. "Do you remember when we first met, and I-"

"Startled me from behind like some sort of stalker, thus marking the first of your many attempts to 'drag' me to this university?" Soul again interrupted, his voice wry. "Yes."

Oh, he was making it so hard to resist the temptation to just _slap _him. Maka gritted her teeth and pressed on. "When I introduced myself, Soul, focus. Remember how I…told you my full name?"

"What, you mean 'Maka Albarn'?"

She covered his mouth a second too late, and cast a nervous glance around to once more check for listeners. There was still no one, but she just couldn't shake the feeling that someone was listening in. Was it just her nerves?

This time she chose to stare at the tiles beneath their shoes. She didn't want to admit it, but this was kind of embarrassing. "Do you…do you think you could keep my last name a secret? I can't exactly say why, but…it's very, very important that no one knows it."

When she heard nothing but silence, she looked up to see Soul staring at her with his brows furrowed. She blushed as she remembered she still had her hand over his mouth, and was quick to pull it away.

"If that's the case," he said, obviously not caring about her sudden movement, "then why did you tell me that kind of information?"

The desire to sink into the floor was now overwhelming her. "I…uh…I kind of forgot. I was so excited about getting to know you that I…introduced myself with my real name without thinking."

"Oh, great," he muttered, and she looked up in time to catch him rolling his eyes. "You know, I only hear that lame kind of pick-up line from the women who want to sleep with me. By the way, the answer's hell no."

Her cheeks grew hot and her throat went dry. Then with her last vestiges of strength she held tight to her remaining nerve and gathered herself for a shouting session. "What- _what is that-_"

"Coming from someone who doesn't even have the balls to properly observe one of my simpler dissections for class?"

Both she and Soul froze at the new voice. Slowly, she turned around and saw a door that she hadn't seen before, newly opened. And standing in the entrance was…

"P-Pro…Pro…Professor Stein," Soul stammered with an audible gulp, and Maka almost keeled over in laughter. She had never before heard him stutter like this.

Said professor's gaze was cold as he stared straight at Soul, his hand turning his screw in a systematic rhythm. Maka felt a sense of dread as she sensed what he was thinking, what he was no doubt about to say-

"I think I want to dissect _you_ now, boy."

If Soul wasn't so cool, Maka was sure he would've fainted on the spot. Suddenly she felt sorry for him- he wasn't the first person to be addressed in such a way. It was up to her to calm things down before trouble arose.

So she walked up to their professor and said, "Stop, Father."

A suspicious choking noise sounded behind her, and she chose to ignore it. "Don't you think you'll get in trouble for saying that to your students? And after you worked so hard to come back here too!"

"M-Maka," Soul again stuttered behind her. She made a mental note to mark this day on her calendar when she got back to her room. "This guy- I mean, professor…is your _father_?"

"A fact you would be wise to remember," her father answered for her. Maka winced as each subsequent turn of the bolt grew faster in their pace. It never did him any good to be wound up so tight; each turn brought him closer to palpable anger and the edge of insanity.

"He didn't mean anything by it," she reasoned, trying to soothe the temper simmering underneath the surface. "He was just acting stupid, Father. Besides, he already has a girlfriend or lover or something like that."

The cricks and clacks of the turning screw slowed, then stopped. "The sudden flux in this boy's soul suggests the opposite," her father remarked, but he removed his arm from his head.

Then he burst into a wide grin that she was familiar with. "But dissecting him still doesn't sound like a half-bad idea…not with a soul like his to look into."

Maka sighed and slouched. "Father, please save your dissections for the strange animals you always come across."

At this her father turned most of his attention to her- just as she planned- with the grin on his face for the most part subdued. "Speaking of which, did you enjoy today's dissection, Maka?"

This time it wasn't just acting that made her nod her head with enthusiasm. "Of course! I never knew that something so small could hide so many poison sacs in its tail alone!"

"Yes you did," her father reproached. "Remember that reptilian animal we encountered in the Sahara? It was at least ten centimeters shorter in body length from head to tail, with eight sacs lined neatly in said tail."

"Oh, right- I can't believe I forgot all about that!" Maka exclaimed. "It was so much fun looking into that one. We didn't sleep for about two days just to finish documenting all the stuff we found in there!"

The light grinned and gleamed off her father's glasses. "If you weren't so late for class today, you would have been able to see all the interesting things that came out of the stomach of today's specimen. Quite incredible, actually…one of the items was a metal key that hadn't yet-"

"Uh…"

That one sound made Maka remember that she had forgotten all about Soul. Feeling a bit sheepish, she turned to regard him…and saw him looking at them as if they _both_ had screws growing out of their heads. Annoyed, she put her hands on her hips. "What, Soul."

He looked as if he was going to say something worth punching him for, then wisely decided not to go through with it. "…I'll see you later."

"And her name, Eater?" her father asked before he took so much as a step, his tone dead serious. "If word gets out, I will know how, why, and exactly _who_ had volunteered to end up on my private dissection table."

Maka could see the sweat trickle down Soul's face as he answered, "Sure, no problem." He looked her straight in the eyes then, which caught her off guard. "Secret's safe with me."

With that he walked away.

Until Soul turned the corner far down the corridor, there was silence. Then her father commented, "Yes, an interesting boy indeed. So twisted…and untrusting. I would just love to see what makes him tick." And she could feel his gaze sweep towards her, as though asking her that very question.

"I don't know myself," she replied, her voice quiet. But her father's comment reminded her of something even more important.

"Father, I need to tell you something."

He didn't say anything in response, most likely already reading the enormity of the situation on her soul. With nothing more than a quick glance at something down the hallway, he opened the door behind him to let her through.

* * *

What Maka didn't know- but her father certainly did- was that there was indeed another listener to her and Soul's earlier conversation, hiding amongst walls and shadows.

"Maka…Albarn."

And then there were fits of giggles.

* * *

A/N: Did you enjoy it? I would love to know if you did! What about what you think will happen next? Comments, suggestions, and speculations are all welcome, so **please review!** b^^d


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